← Back to Westminster Hall Debates
Pupil Roll Numbers and School Closures: London — [Mr Philip Hollobone in the Chair]
07 June 2023
Lead MP
Florence Eshalomi
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Lab Co-op
Responding Minister
Nick Gibb
Tags
EducationEmploymentChildren & FamiliesLocal Government
Word Count: 13614
Other Contributors: 11
At a Glance
Florence Eshalomi raised concerns about pupil roll numbers and school closures: london — [mr philip hollobone in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The Minister should work with school leaders and local authorities to identify at-risk schools and develop a plan to prevent further closures. He must address funding inequalities, increase affordable housing supply through planning reform, reverse the real-terms cut to the local housing allowance, and meet with MPs to discuss these issues in detail.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The declining birth rate in London has led to a significant reduction in the number of pupils attending schools, with Lambeth facing an anticipated drop of 15% in reception numbers by 2027. The closure of two historic secondary schools in Lambeth, Archbishop Tenison's and St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls, highlights the severe impact on communities and students. These closures cause practical disruption and emotional distress to children and staff.
Clapham and Brixton Hill
The MP discussed the impact of rising living costs and falling budgets for London schools, leading to a decline in birth rates and fewer households with school-age children. She highlighted that empty desks mean debts for schools and local authorities, affecting teachers and their families. The MP expressed concern over the closure of two state-funded schools in Lambeth due to soaring housing costs and lack of necessary powers from the Government to address these issues. The MP asks the Minister to define what he means by 'affordable' housing, questioning how constituents can afford homes that are deemed affordable when many still struggle financially.
Clive Efford
Lab
Eltham and Chislehurst
He discussed the potential closure of the Harris Academy school in his constituency, expressing concern over surplus places and the financial implications for schools facing falling rolls. He highlighted the need for affordable housing to prevent essential workers from being priced out of London and urged the Government to address the decline in birth rates specific to central London.
David Simmonds
Con
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Discussed the history of school place provision in London, outlined challenges such as reduced pupil numbers and pressure on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) places, and suggested enhancing local authority flexibility to ease transitions when schools downsize. He noted that some free school programmes are behind schedule, increasing cost pressures.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Supporting the debate despite its focus on London, Jim Shannon emphasised the importance of funding for children with special needs in his constituency. He noted an increase in recognition and support required for these children to succeed in education and beyond.
Karl Hilton
Lab
North West Durham
The MP emphasized that school closures can lead to a ripple effect across London boroughs due to reduced parental choice. He highlighted the importance of addressing this issue now before it worsens.
Battersea
Headteachers in Battersea have raised concerns about the viability of their schools due to inflation and a decrease in pupil numbers. She highlighted factors such as the pandemic, unaffordability of living in London, lack of affordable housing, and Brexit that contribute to falling school enrolment.
Munira Wilson
Lib Dem
Twickenham
She congratulated the hon. Lady for securing the debate and raised concerns about childcare and housing costs driving families out of London. In her constituency, eight reception classes had to close last year and seven this year. She proposed that local councils should be given strategic powers to coordinate school admissions and places. Ms Wilson intervened to point out a potential funding issue related to pupil admission numbers, suggesting that the Department for Education provide additional funding for underfilled classes.
Ruth Cadbury
Lab
Brentford and Isleworth
Ms Cadbury highlighted the challenges faced by schools in Hounslow, including staff shortages, difficulties recruiting new teachers, funding cuts, and a decline in school places. She mentioned that primary school places have declined by 10% over three years due to families moving out of London because of housing issues. Ms Cadbury also raised concerns about children not being registered in any schools and the impact on local authorities' ability to plan for school places. The MP is concerned about the impact of the free schools programme on local authority planning, particularly in her constituency where resources intended for a non-faith school were diverted to a faith-based institution far from its designated catchment area.
Sarah Olney
Lib Dem
Richmond Park
Ms Olney expressed concerns about the financial sustainability of schools in Richmond and Kingston due to falling pupil numbers. She highlighted that single-form entry schools face disproportionate budget cuts as they are funded on a per-head basis, leading to impossible decisions for headteachers regarding staffing and resources. Parents and teachers have reported difficulties in providing necessary services such as special educational needs support and extracurricular activities. Ms Olney also raised the issue of empty classrooms being underutilized and suggested they could be used for community benefits like wraparound childcare and youth work.
Stephen Morgan
Lab
Portsmouth South
School closures are impacting communities, especially in London where the number of primary school pupils has dropped by over 23,000 since before the pandemic. Contributing factors include rising housing costs and a decline in birth rates due to financial pressures.
Virendra Sharma
Lab
Ealing, Southall
Mr Sharma highlighted the issue of mainstream primary schools not being inclusive enough for children with special educational needs and disabilities. He suggested that local authorities should be supported to expand specialist provision where necessary.
Government Response
Nick Gibb
Government Response
It is a pleasure to participate in yet another debate that you are chairing, Mr Hollobone. I congratulate the hon. Member for Vauxhall on securing a debate on this important subject, and for opening it so clearly. The Government have responded to substantial growth in pupil numbers by supporting the creation of almost 1.2 million new school places since 2010. Over £14 billion of capital grant funding has been committed to support local authorities in building new mainstream school places between 2011 and 2026, with £3.5 billion for London alone. The Department recognises the crucial role that local authorities play in planning local services for their community and championing the interests of children. Local authorities are legally responsible for ensuring there are enough school places in their area. Free schools have been crucial in raising standards in our school system, with an example being a school in Ealing, Southall judged outstanding since opening in 2018. Some spare capacity should be retained to manage shifting demand, provide parental choice and support the admissions system. Local authorities are well placed to balance supply and demand of school places in line with changing demographics. The Department expects local authorities to work collaboratively with their partners to ensure they are managing the local school estate efficiently and reducing or re-purposing high levels of spare capacity. Lambeth has been proactive in addressing this issue, consulting on reducing the capacity of eight primary schools. There is still a need to increase supply for children with special educational needs and disabilities, and £400 million of the £2 billion in additional funding for schools announced will go to local authorities' high-needs budgets. The school estate needs to be managed efficiently, which sometimes means reducing or repurposing high levels of spare capacity through closure if places are not needed in the long term. Archbishop Tenison's School and St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for Girls in Lambeth have trustees who explored all options available and came to a difficult decision to seek mutual consent with the Department for closure. When a school closure is proposed, the regional director will work in consultation with the local authority and trust to gather information and assess the options, with the Secretary of State taking the final decision on the closure of academies. The Government will additionally give local authorities more flexibilities from 2024-25 to support schools seeing a significant decline in pupil numbers where these places will still be needed within the next three to five years. Local authorities will be able to use their growth and falling rolls funding allocations to meet revenue costs of repurposing school places.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.